On Monday morning October 25, a motorist called the Izard County Sheriff’s Department stating that a vehicle was over an embankment about eight miles south of Melbourne on Arkansas Highway 9. Upon arrival of Izard County Deputy Ed Sollock, the body of 31 year old male was discovered in the back of the pickup truck. Information gathered at the scene by Izard County Investigators and investigators of the Arkansas State Police led the investigation to Salem where it was determined that the victim was killed inside the Salem city limits. By nine o’clock that evening two males were in custody pending formal charges of aggravated robbery and murder. Sheriff Tate Lawrence said the names of those arrested and the name of the victim are being withheld pending formal charges and notification of next of kin.

Multiple agencies including the Arkansas State Police, the Salem Police Department, the 16 Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Arkansas Department of Correction dog team assisted in the investigation.